In their first sale under an overall deal at CBS TV Studios, longtime Grey’s Anatomy executive producers Tony Phelan and Joan Rater have set up a legal drama to CBS as a put pilot. This is an unusually big commitment for a show coming from the network’s sister studio, indicating interest in the project. Phelan and Rater will write and executive produce the untitled project, which centers on a smart, successful 30-something defense attorney who shockingly falls for one of her clients who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime. While she continues to try a variety of cases at her firm, she pursues her lover’s defense as this relationship reverberates throughout her previously well-constructed life. The project will be produced by CBS Television Studios and studio-based Timberman-Beverly Prods; Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly executive produce.

Phelan and Rater are currently consulting producers for CBS/CBS Studios’ Madam Secretary, as part of their overall deal. The pair served as executive producers for 10 seasons on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. In addition to writing and producing, Phelan has also directed multiple episodes of Grey’s. Previously, Phelan and Rater co-produced NBC’s Law And Order: Trial By Jury. Phelan and Rater are repped by UTA and attorney David Fox. Beverly and Timberman are repped by CAA.